✓ Law Verified June 2026
Facing eviction in Massachusetts? This guide explains the massachusetts eviction process step by step — the exact notice periods, the court timeline, your defenses, and what your landlord legally cannot do. All figures are from Massachusetts law, verified as of June 2026.
In This Massachusetts Guide:
Massachusetts Eviction Notice Periods
Before a landlord can file an eviction lawsuit in Massachusetts, they must serve you a written notice. The number of days depends on the reason:
| Reason for Eviction | Notice Period |
|---|---|
| Nonpayment of rent | 14 days written notice to quit required for nonpayment of rent (MGL c.186 s.11). Tenants at will have a one-time right to cure by paying all rent owed within 10 days of receiving the notice (once per 12-month period). Tenants with a lease may cure by paying all rent owed plus interest and court costs at any time before their answer is due in court, with no limit on the number of times they may cure. |
| Lease violation | 30 days notice to quit for tenancies at will. For lease tenants, the notice period depends on the lease terms, but the landlord must follow whatever the lease specifies. Massachusetts does not have a separate statutory cure period for lease violations — the landlord’s notice to quit terminates the tenancy at the end of the notice period. |
| No-cause / end of tenancy | 30 days or one full rental period, whichever is longer, for month-to-month tenancies at will. The notice must expire at the end of a rental period. Massachusetts allows no-cause termination of at-will tenancies but NOT of lease tenancies during the lease term. |
| Holdover tenant | 30 days or one full rental period, whichever is longer. A holdover tenant (staying past lease expiration) is treated as a tenant at will and receives the same 30-day notice to quit requirement. |
| Tenant must respond within | The tenant must file a written Answer by the first Monday after the entry date (this is called the Answer Date). The Answer form allows the tenant to raise defenses, counterclaims, and dispute the amount of rent owed. Failure to file an Answer does not automatically result in a default judgment, but it limits the tenant’s ability to raise defenses at trial. |
| Realistic total timeline | 45 to 120 days from notice to physical removal in an uncontested case. Breakdown: 14 to 30 days for the notice to quit period, 7 to 30 days from service to entry date, 14 to 42 days from entry date to trial, 10 days after judgment before execution issues, then 48 hours notice before physical removal. Contested cases, mediations, continuances, and stays of execution can extend this to 6 months or longer. |
How the Eviction Lawsuit Is Filed in Massachusetts
After the notice to quit expires, the landlord files a Summary Process Summons and Complaint. The form must be purchased from the clerk’s office of the court where the case will be filed. The case may be filed in Housing Court, District Court, or Boston Municipal Court. Filing fees are approximately 135 in Housing Court or 180 in District Court / Boston Municipal Court.
A sheriff or constable must serve the summons and complaint on the tenant. The entry date (the date the case is filed with the court) must be between 7 and 30 days after the date the tenant is served.
Hearing timeline: After the entry date, the court typically schedules a first-tier mediation session within 14 to 21 days. If mediation does not resolve the case, the trial is generally scheduled within 2 to 4 weeks after mediation. Total time from filing to trial is typically 3 to 6 weeks, though contested cases in busy courts may take longer.
Writ of possession / lockout: 10 days after judgment, the landlord may request an Execution (writ of possession) from the court. Once the Execution is issued, a sheriff or constable must give the tenant at least 48 hours written notice before the physical move-out.
The tenant may request a Stay of Execution to get more time: up to 6 months for no-fault evictions, or up to 12 months if the tenant or a household member is over 60 years old or has a physical or mental disability.
For fault-based evictions (nonpayment, lease violations), the court may grant a shorter stay of days or weeks.
Tenant Defenses Against Eviction in Massachusetts
Depending on your situation, you may be able to raise defenses such as:
- Massachusetts tenants may raise these defenses in a summary process case: (1) Improper notice — the notice to quit was defective
- not properly served
- or did not give the required number of days. (2) Warranty of habitability — the landlord failed to maintain the unit in habitable condition or violated the State Sanitary Code (MGL c.239 s.8A allows rent withholding and counterclaims for conditions). (3) Retaliation — the eviction was filed in retaliation for the tenant exercising legal rights such as reporting code violations
- joining a tenant organization
- or requesting repairs (MGL c.186 s.18
- c.239 s.2A). (4) Discrimination — the eviction is based on race
- color
- sex
- gender identity
- sexual orientation
No defense is guaranteed — but raising a valid one can delay or stop the eviction.
What Your Landlord CANNOT Do
In Massachusetts, a landlord cannot evict you without a court order. Massachusetts law (MGL c.186 s.14) makes it illegal for a landlord to: lock a tenant out of their unit without a court order; shut off or interfere with utilities (heat, water, electricity, gas) to force a tenant out; remove a tenant’s belongings or furniture without a court order; remove doors, windows, or other fixtures; threaten or harass a tenant to force them to leave; change the locks without providing a new key; or take any action to force a tenant out without going through the full court eviction process.
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These actions are criminal offenses punishable by a fine of 25 to 300 or imprisonment of up to 6 months. A tenant who is illegally locked out or has utilities shut off may sue the landlord and recover at least 3 months rent or actual damages (whichever is greater), plus court costs and attorney fees.
Free legal help: Massachusetts tenants facing eviction can get free legal help from: Massachusetts Legal Aid (find your local office at masslegalhelp.org); the Massachusetts Eviction Legal Help Project (evictionlegalhelp.org); the Lawyer for the Day program available at most Housing Courts; the Tenancy Preservation Program (helps tenants with disabilities or behavioral health issues); and the Mass.gov Eviction Legal Services page (mass.gov/info-details/eviction-legal-services-and-mediation).
Tenants may also call the Massachusetts Attorney General’s office to report illegal lockouts or landlord harassment.
Other Massachusetts eviction rules: (1) Eviction record sealing — as of May 2025, Massachusetts tenants have the right to seal eviction records so they do not appear in public background checks. (2) Massachusetts uses a unique Entry Date / Answer Date system — the summons specifies an entry date (always a Monday), and the tenant must file their Answer by the Monday after the entry date.
(3) First-tier mediation is required before trial in most Housing Courts.
(4) Massachusetts requires landlords to purchase the Summary Process Summons and Complaint form from the court clerk — the landlord cannot use their own form. (5) Tenants at will have a one-time right to cure nonpayment within 10 days of the notice to quit (once per 12 months), while lease tenants may cure unlimited times before the answer date.
(6) Stay of execution may be extended up to 12 months for tenants or household members who are elderly (over 60) or disabled, if they cannot find comparable housing. (7) Only a sheriff or constable may physically remove a tenant — the landlord may never do this themselves.
(8) MGL c.239 s.8A allows tenants to raise the condition of the premises as a defense and counterclaim, and if the landlord’s violations are severe enough, the court can award the tenant damages that offset or exceed the rent owed.
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Official Massachusetts Sources & Resources
- Massachusetts Courts / Judiciary: https://www.mass.gov/eviction-for-tenants
- Massachusetts Eviction Statute: https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/Partiii/Titleiii/Chapter239
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: hud.gov
- Cornell Legal Information Institute: law.cornell.edu/wex
Understanding the Massachusetts Eviction Process
The Massachusetts eviction process follows a strict legal sequence — notice, then filing, then hearing, then judgment, then enforcement. A landlord who skips any step in the Massachusetts eviction process is acting illegally, and you may have grounds to have the case dismissed. Understanding the Massachusetts eviction process gives you the ability to spot errors in the notice, raise valid defenses, and buy time to find housing or legal help.
Never ignore an eviction notice — responding within the deadline is the most important step in the entire Massachusetts eviction process.
This Massachusetts eviction guide was last verified against official sources in June 2026. If you are facing eviction, contact a local legal-aid office immediately.
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Disclaimer: This guide is informational only and is not legal advice. Landlord-tenant laws change and vary by city and county within a state. Verify current rules with your state, your local court, or a free legal-aid office before acting. If you are facing eviction, contact a local tenant attorney or legal-aid organization right away.